Narrative:

I am a private pilot. I was flying a cessna 152/U at night for a training purpose. I was coming from livermore. After I executed a few touch and goes over there, I couldn't get the ATIS. Then I tried to contact oakland tower, but didn't get any answer for a while. Then I heard them saying, 'what's your intention?' I responded 'want to land oak,' but they did not give me any squawk number or anything, maybe because they didn't hear me on the radio because it was scratching. So I decided to go for one touch and go at hayward and I did say it on the radio but I don't know whether they heard me or not. So, I went for a touch and go at hayward. Then, when I was on crosswind at about 700 ft MSL going up, here starts the confusion and my mistake: 'I did not get the ATIS' but this is because we usually don't get ATIS when coming from hayward. The second big mistake is that I entered oakland class C airspace, and I do admit that that's a mistake a private pilot should not fall into (the distance between hayward and oakland is about 5 mi so they are very close). I do realize my mistake and I did talk to my instructor and one of his colleagues about that mistake which they explained to me how to avoid it in the future. I contacted oakland tower, then they gave me a squawk number and told me that I was at 300 ft MSL, I answered negative 700 ft MSL going up. Then they said 'do not enter class C airspace.' I answered 'is there a chance to land oakland tonight?'. No answer. Radio scratching. I decided to go back to hayward. I started a right downwind for hayward when I heard oakland tower say 'cessna...clear to land on 27R.' so I turned back to crosswind, then I turned 6 mi final for runway 27R. (But I was never at any time on final or aligned with oakland runways, and I was never going to land oakland without clearance.) supplemental information from acn 275901: my student who is a private pilot was doing a night solo flight. He flew to livermore airport where he practiced touch and goes and then decided to fly back into oakland. He departed VFR, but approaching oakland hills to the east of oakland airport he saw that a low stratus overcast to broken had moved in. Instead of going back to livermore he elected to continue. The bay approach controller advised him that the field was IFR. The student kept requesting landing at oakland. A few mi from oakland the ATC cleared him to land. After landing they asked him to call the tower. Tower explained to him that he could not fly into class C under IFR minimum a and because it was night he could not request 'special VFR' because he is not instrument rated. The student said that he knew the regulations, but he was distracted that night, because of the bad WX, and did not comply with them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT ENTERS CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. RADIO PROBS AGGRAVATE SIT.

Narrative: I AM A PVT PLT. I WAS FLYING A CESSNA 152/U AT NIGHT FOR A TRAINING PURPOSE. I WAS COMING FROM LIVERMORE. AFTER I EXECUTED A FEW TOUCH AND GOES OVER THERE, I COULDN'T GET THE ATIS. THEN I TRIED TO CONTACT OAKLAND TWR, BUT DIDN'T GET ANY ANSWER FOR A WHILE. THEN I HEARD THEM SAYING, 'WHAT'S YOUR INTENTION?' I RESPONDED 'WANT TO LAND OAK,' BUT THEY DID NOT GIVE ME ANY SQUAWK NUMBER OR ANYTHING, MAYBE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HEAR ME ON THE RADIO BECAUSE IT WAS SCRATCHING. SO I DECIDED TO GO FOR ONE TOUCH AND GO AT HAYWARD AND I DID SAY IT ON THE RADIO BUT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY HEARD ME OR NOT. SO, I WENT FOR A TOUCH AND GO AT HAYWARD. THEN, WHEN I WAS ON XWIND AT ABOUT 700 FT MSL GOING UP, HERE STARTS THE CONFUSION AND MY MISTAKE: 'I DID NOT GET THE ATIS' BUT THIS IS BECAUSE WE USUALLY DON'T GET ATIS WHEN COMING FROM HAYWARD. THE SECOND BIG MISTAKE IS THAT I ENTERED OAKLAND CLASS C AIRSPACE, AND I DO ADMIT THAT THAT'S A MISTAKE A PVT PLT SHOULD NOT FALL INTO (THE DISTANCE BTWN HAYWARD AND OAKLAND IS ABOUT 5 MI SO THEY ARE VERY CLOSE). I DO REALIZE MY MISTAKE AND I DID TALK TO MY INSTRUCTOR AND ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES ABOUT THAT MISTAKE WHICH THEY EXPLAINED TO ME HOW TO AVOID IT IN THE FUTURE. I CONTACTED OAKLAND TWR, THEN THEY GAVE ME A SQUAWK NUMBER AND TOLD ME THAT I WAS AT 300 FT MSL, I ANSWERED NEGATIVE 700 FT MSL GOING UP. THEN THEY SAID 'DO NOT ENTER CLASS C AIRSPACE.' I ANSWERED 'IS THERE A CHANCE TO LAND OAKLAND TONIGHT?'. NO ANSWER. RADIO SCRATCHING. I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO HAYWARD. I STARTED A R DOWNWIND FOR HAYWARD WHEN I HEARD OAKLAND TWR SAY 'CESSNA...CLR TO LAND ON 27R.' SO I TURNED BACK TO XWIND, THEN I TURNED 6 MI FINAL FOR RWY 27R. (BUT I WAS NEVER AT ANY TIME ON FINAL OR ALIGNED WITH OAKLAND RWYS, AND I WAS NEVER GOING TO LAND OAKLAND WITHOUT CLRNC.) SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 275901: MY STUDENT WHO IS A PVT PLT WAS DOING A NIGHT SOLO FLT. HE FLEW TO LIVERMORE ARPT WHERE HE PRACTICED TOUCH AND GOES AND THEN DECIDED TO FLY BACK INTO OAKLAND. HE DEPARTED VFR, BUT APCHING OAKLAND HILLS TO THE E OF OAKLAND ARPT HE SAW THAT A LOW STRATUS OVCST TO BROKEN HAD MOVED IN. INSTEAD OF GOING BACK TO LIVERMORE HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE. THE BAY APCH CTLR ADVISED HIM THAT THE FIELD WAS IFR. THE STUDENT KEPT REQUESTING LNDG AT OAKLAND. A FEW MI FROM OAKLAND THE ATC CLRED HIM TO LAND. AFTER LNDG THEY ASKED HIM TO CALL THE TWR. TWR EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT HE COULD NOT FLY INTO CLASS C UNDER IFR MINIMUM A AND BECAUSE IT WAS NIGHT HE COULD NOT REQUEST 'SPECIAL VFR' BECAUSE HE IS NOT INST RATED. THE STUDENT SAID THAT HE KNEW THE REGS, BUT HE WAS DISTRACTED THAT NIGHT, BECAUSE OF THE BAD WX, AND DID NOT COMPLY WITH THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.